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Restoring Water Quality in the Lake Memphremagog Basin

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Restoring Water Quality in the Lake Memphremagog Basin Restoring Water Quality in the Lake Memphremagog Basin: Black River Protection and Restoration Project Prepared for Memphrémagog Conservation Inc., Orleans County Natural Resources Conservation District, Northeastern Vermont Development Association, and the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation by Fritz Gerhardt, Ph.D. 15 February 2011 Memphremagog Watershed Association The Memphremagog Watershed Association, founded in 2007, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of the environment and natural beauty of the Lake Memphremagog Basin. The Memphremagog Watershed Association accomplishes this mission through public education, water quality monitoring, shoreline cleanup and renaturalization, and protection of local wildlife. Specific projects include 1) promoting ecological awareness of the people who live in, work in, and visit the Lake Memphremagog Basin and enjoy all that it offers; 2) informing and educating the public and promoting participation in efforts to preserve the environment and natural beauty of the basin; 3) working with other lake associations; local, state and federal governments; and businesses to develop guidelines and policies that protect and improve the quality of life in and around the basin; and 4) participating in efforts to monitor water quality in the lake and its tributaries, cleanup and renaturalize lake and river shorelines, and protect local wildlife. Beck Pond LLC Founded in 2009, Beck Pond LLC partners with public agencies and nonprofit organizations to conduct scientific research that increases our understanding of and informs on-the-ground actions to protect and restore the natural environment of northern New England and adjacent Canada. Beck Pond LLC is a limited liability company organized in the state of Vermont and is owned and operated by Dr. Fritz Gerhardt. Dr. Gerhardt has been working as an ecologist and conservation scientist since 1987 and has a wealth of experience applying ecological research to the conservation and restoration of natural ecosystems. He completed his B.A. in Religious Studies at Grinnell College, his M.F.S. in Forest Ecology at Harvard University, and his Ph.D. in Community Ecology at the University of Colorado. He has also worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Alaska, Harvard Forest in Massachusetts, and the Vermont Institute of Natural Science and NorthWoods Stewardship Center in Vermont. Dr. Gerhardt is dedicated to conducting scientific research that not only increases our understanding of the natural environment but also informs science-based conservation. Among other projects, he has conducted scientific studies to assess the impacts of historical land uses and invasive plants on native plant communities; to protect and improve water quality in the Lake Memphremagog Basin and White River Watershed; to protect and restore floodplain forests and wetlands along the Connecticut River and its tributaries; and to identify and protect wildlife habitat corridors across northern New England and eastern Canada. Cover. Black River flowing north of Wylie Hill Road in Albany, Vermont on 7 July 2010. Much of the floodplain of the Black River is currently used for agriculture, mostly as cropland and hayfields like those pictured here. If not properly buffered, these land uses can encroach on and harm water quality and habitat quality along rivers and wetlands. Restoring Water Quality in the Lake Memphremagog Basin: Black River Protection and Restoration Project Prepared for Memphrémagog Conservation Inc., Orleans County Natural Resources Conservation District, Northeastern Vermont Development Association, and the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation Fritz Gerhardt, Ph.D. Beck Pond LLC 394 Beck Pond Road Newark, VT 05871 [email protected] Fritz Gerhardt, Ph.D. 2010 Vermont Tributary Report Acknowledgments This project would not have been possible without the actions and support of many individuals and organizations. Annalei Babson, Gisèle Benoit, King Boyd, Dayna Cole, Ben Copans, Don Hendrich, Neil Kamman, and Johanne Lavoie were all instrumental in developing and implementing this project. Ben Copans participated in all aspects of this project, including obtaining funding and support from the LaRosa Analytical Laboratory, designing and implementing the study, collecting water samples, compiling and analyzing the data, and calculating stream flows and nutrient loads for the sample sites. Neil Kamman, Jim Kellogg, and Jerry Divincenzo enabled establishment of the Analytical Services Partnership with the LaRosa Analytical Laboratory to fund analyses of the water samples. Dan McAvinney and Alison Farnsworth provided valuable administrative and logistical support in terms of analyzing the water samples at the LaRosa Analytical Laboratory. Numerous individuals helped collect water samples: Bob Bowman, Ginnie Bowman, King Boyd, Don Chapdelaine, Ben Copans, Karen Lippens, Jim Ryan, Jack Watson, and Susan Watson. Numerous landowners graciously gave us permission to sample water quality on their properties. Memphrémagog Conservation Inc., the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, and the Northeastern Vermont Development Association provided financial support for this project. The assistance and support of all of these individuals and organizations are greatly appreciated. i Fritz Gerhardt, Ph.D. 2010 Vermont Tributary Report Table of Contents Acknowledgments ................................................................................................. i Table of Contents ................................................................................................. ii List of Tables ................................................................................................. iii List of Figures ................................................................................................. iii Executive Summary ................................................................................................. iv Introduction ............................................................................................................. 1 Study Goals ............................................................................................................. 5 Study Area ............................................................................................................. 6 Methods ............................................................................................................. 8 Results and Discussion ..................................................................................... 10 Stream Flow ................................................................................................. 10 Total Phosphorus ..................................................................................... 14 Black River ..................................................................................... 16 Smaller Tributaries ......................................................................... 21 Johns River ..................................................................................... 24 Phosphorus Modeling ............................................................. 28 Total Nitrogen ..................................................................................... 30 Johns River and Adjacent Tributaries ..................................... 31 Black River Watershed ............................................................. 34 Turbidity ................................................................................................. 36 Quality Assurance ..................................................................................... 40 Recommendations ................................................................................................. 41 Monitoring and Assessment Studies ............................................................. 41 Protection and Restoration Projects ............................................................. 42 Education and Outreach ..................................................................................... 44 Bibliography ............................................................................................................. 46 Appendix A. Descriptions of the 33 sample sites ................................................. 48 Appendix B. Water quality data collected at 33 sample sites ......................... 50 Appendix C. Quality assurance data ............................................................. 58 Appendix D. Glossary ..................................................................................... 62 ii Fritz Gerhardt, Ph.D. 2010 Vermont Tributary Report List of Tables Table 1. Median, range, and percent change in total phosphorus ............................ 26 List of Figures Figure 1. Turbid water and algae near the mouth of the Johns River ............... 1 Figure 2. Cyanobacterial bloom along the north shore of Derby Bay ............... 2 Figure 3. Locations of the 33 sites sampled along the Black River ............... 9 Figure 4. Stream flows along the Black River and Johns River ........................... 12 Figure 5. Daily rainfall measured at two automated weather stations ............... 13 Figure 6. Water depths at the Johns River site on each sample date ............... 13 Figure 7. Median total phosphorus concentrations ................................................... 15 Figure 8. Total phosphorus concentrations at 33 sites ....................................... 16 Figure 9. Median total
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